Chi passa per'sta strada, 1557

Filippo Azzaiolo
Italy

Instrumentation:
cello, violins (2), bass, pipas (plucked lute) (2), erhu (bowed lute), sheng (mouth organ), percussion (4), tabla (Indian drums)

The Renaissance Italian piece Chi Passa per‘sta strada was written at the height of trade between Italy and the East and symbolizes a union of musical cultures and styles. The recording Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet concludes with a stirring impromptu arrangement of the Italian Renaissance song for European and Chinese strings and Indian percussion. Here Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble offer a reminder of an age of exploration when, much like our own era of globalization, commerce and culture were partners in the search for new connections, new fashions and new ideas.